


A Social Call

by orphan_account



Category: Callan (TV)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Hunter - Freeform, Section, Toby still has feelings for Callan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-04
Updated: 2015-05-04
Packaged: 2018-03-29 00:21:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3875377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life after Callan's disappearance is different. Toby pays a surprise visit to Lonely.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Social Call

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place after the events of the last episode of the last series after Callan walks away from the Section.

Toby made his way past the crumbling steps and the peeling walls. His lifelong training made him tread quietly even when there was no need and he found himself opening the door like a burglar before he could stop himself. He paused and straightened his suit. This was a social call, provided the little bugger was home and not on one of his haunts stealing clocks and any bits and bobs that he could lay his hands on. Lonely might be the best burglar in London but he sure had the worst luck of any criminal he had ever met.

The place still smelt of his familiar odour, he must be home then. Toby smiled and knocked on the door, taking out his handkerchief and covering his nose with it lightly while he waited.

'Who is it?' Lonely called from inside, his voice had a permanent ring of fear attached to it.

'It's me, Lonely.' Toby called out.

'What do you want Mr. Meres, Mr. Callan ain't 'ere.' he said unlocking the latch and peering through it. His thin, pockmarked face carried shiny beads of perspiration and he was trembling.

'Relax Lonely, this is a social call.'

Lonely opened the door hesitatingly.

Toby entered to see him cowering besides the edge of the bedside.

He took in the surroundings, the dirty cups of tea in the sink, the dirty plates from dinner, the unmade bed and the table in the corner with an old radio and smiled.

'What are you up to, Lonely? Not going on one of your haunts?'

'I ain't done nothin' Mr. Meres.'

'I know. I wanted to check up on you. it's been some months since David...Mr. Callan walked away from the Section after the botched up job where Richmond was killed.'

'He ain't come 'ere.'

'I know. I've been watching this place.'

'Why 'ave you come 'ere, Mr. Meres?'

'To check up on you and to see if you needed anything, since Mr. Callan might not be coming for a visit for a while.'

'This is just a social call?' Lonely still found it hard to believe.

'Absolutely.'

Toby walked in and busied himself in making a cup of tea, 'Where's the sugar, old chum?'

'In the cupboard on the left, Mr. Meres.'

'Oh and Lonely, I want you to be my eyes and ears in case I ever need you.' Toby stirred a cup of tea and placed it in front of Lonely.

'I won't tell you nothin' about where Mr. Callan is.'

Toby almost laughed at the loyalty of the silly little man but then stopped himself. He understood why Callan kept him around. He sipped his own tea to stop himself from feeling a stab of jealousy.

'Oh goodness me, I don't want that information from you. If we wanted to find Mr. Callan, we would have found Mr. Callan. No, it's more like, you see Lonely, yours is a tricky business, you know too much about the Section and one does need friends if one does not want to end up in Scrubs again or even dead, isn't that so Lonely? I hope we can be friends.'

'I guess so Mr. Meres.'

'Good. I'll be seeing you then.'  Toby put his cup down and walked out, pausing at the door to glance at Lonely who was still finishing up his tea.

He felt guilty for blackmailing Callan's only friend into an uneasy partnership but one must take what one can get. He buttoned up his coat against the chilly night air. He had forgotten to thank Lonely for the time he had brought him back after he had been drugged by that Kessler woman and for the many times since then that he had saved Toby's life.

It was a start, he would get better at revealing his emotions as time went by. He wanted to make sure that Lonely would be alright, now that Callan was not there to look out for him. He felt a strange, fierce desire to protect Lonely from Hunter's clutches if it ever came to that, it was what David would want. The poor creature needed someone to look after him to keep him out of trouble. 

Toby would continue to conveniently mess up the surveillance that Hunter had ordered to be kept on Callan, allowing Lonely and David to meet occasionally. He understood now that there were some things more important than ambition and following orders. He didn't have friends of his own, there was no reason why David shouldn't keep his. He cared about David too much to deny him this one last unasked favour. His heart told him that what he was feeling was love but he was frightened at the thought and shut it out. He had become good at shutting emotions out from his life; the cold ruthless killer with a smile, that was his reputation in the Section. He had never gotten close to his trainees even when he was in bed with them. 

David had called him a psychopath once and though it hurt to admit it, it probably was closer to the truth than he would like to admit. He didn't care about people, didn't feel a thing when he pulled the trigger so why did he have to care about David? It's just as well that David would never know. This'll be his, Toby's deception, his secret. He was good at keeping secrets. This was the only one that had nothing to do with the Section.

He had made it seem that it was Lonely who needed him but as he thought about the little blighter sipping his cup of tea cheerfully and listening to the beat up old radio that he had probably nicked from somewhere, he realised that he needed Lonely's friendship more than Lonely would ever need his.

It was a strange world, an upside down world. A world without sense. Toby hailed a cab at the corner and was gone. 


End file.
